Easy Toy Storage Solutions

Before we moved into our currant house, we didn’t have the luxury of a segregated space on our main floor to add a built in for toy storage like the picture above. But good news is that if this isn’t attainable in the current home your living in, you can still achieve organization and implement officiant ways to store your child/children’s toys, in any space.

Step one: Assessing your storage space and needs

The first thing you have to figure out before you tackle a toy storage overhaul is the needs of the items and the space that you will designate for them.

Get on Pinterest for inspiration and or similar projects that were done in the spaces you have so you can start researching and get excited and motivated for your project!

Example of this is the picture above, I want all of Amadeo’s books to be out on display, and accessible to him for developmental reasons. So I went with having his books in his room and in a open shelving unit from Ikea rather then away in a closet or unit with doors. I also Colour coordinate the spins of the books because a. its so pretty and makes my heart happy and b. it will be easier for Amadeo to put books away. Previous to this I have the books organized by size and every time I had to clean up it took forever and was very frustrating. Having the books colour coordinated make for quick and easy clean up.

I get the questions a lot of where and how I store Amadeo’s plush toys. His Stuffed animals and plush toys I store in couple baskets in his room. Some are in open cloth baskets that are easily accessible when we are playing and some are in a wicker basket with lid. The three that we own I have found treasure hunting at Homesense for very reasonable prices.

These two examples are a combination of my preferences of how I want Amadeo’s items to be displayed or accessible to him and the space I have available to me.

Step Two: Figuring out cost associated with optimal storage solutions

Before you commit to falling in love with an idea of how you’d like to store your child/children’s items you need to do a little research after you figure out the space and size of where you are storing the items.

I always recommend if you have smaller storage spaces to work with, skip out on the big expensive Rubbermaid bins and head to the Dollar store and grab clear smaller bins so they can fit on top of each other and create more storage, another plus is you are able to see what your child owns in regards to toys. If your space doesn’t have shelving and you prefer not to invest in a unit, I would recommend larger rubber maids and label them clearly for easy access.

I organize all of Amadeo’s toys and materials in clear bins from the Dollarama and this is what fit into my needs of the space and unit and budget.

I use the smallest bins for sensory bases, loose parts, magnets, smaller item toys, sorting figures etc. these bins are sold in a set of 3 for $3.00. When I first overhauled his toys I ordered a case 24 units online that was shipped to my homeThe 9 L and 15 L bins I use for bigger items, blocks, cars, art supplies etcBecause I have shelving units I dedicate space for baskets, bins, bowls etc that get added in and out of Amadeo’s Toy Rotation

I did the math and for all of the small clear containers its cost me around $250 plus taxes and I could probably fit everything ( a little less organized, but it would 100% do the job) into 13 large Rubbermaid bins which average $12 each so almost half the cost. I do have space in my basement to store these toy in larger bins but because I actively do toy rotation, this system allows me to do so quickly and efficiently.

One of the biggest catalyst for change in behaviour and patterns is motivation and easily implemented systems.

I overhauled my daycares loose parts and art supply cabinets a few years ago because it was getting out of control. pulling out materials and putting them back in a fast pace not much time environment was making for a disaster zone and clean up at least once a week. So I went and bought the bins, we separated and laminated pictures and labeled the contents so it didn’t matter who was taking materials or putting them back they had a full proof easy system to help them do all those steps efficiently. Still to this day you can open those cupboards at any point and they are perfectly organized!

Motherhood is always fast paced, even on those slower days. We have so many little jobs to do throughout our day and tidying up toys without a good system takes a long time or is extremely frustrating. This system makes it easy for me to implement Toy Rotation in my home. Amadeo has access to 10% of the toys I choose for him to have out so clean up at the end of the day takes no time at all and the storage system allows me to rotate a whole self in less then 10 minutes.

Regardless of the space and the storage system you choose to implement, Toy rotation is key to having your children play and engage with their toys as much as possible before growing out of that developmental stage.